Over 20 lakh names have been deleted from the Odisha voter list as the Election Commission on Sunday (July 5, 2026) published the draft report of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Also read | SIR enumeration phase begins in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan said that before the SIR, Odisha’s total electors were 3,33,99,591. Now, as per the published draft report, 3,13,87,034 names were present. Of the total electors, 1,60,19,176 were male, 1,53,65,083 were female and 2,775 were transgender.
Of the deleted voters, the deceased were 8.32 lakhs or 2.49% of total electors, while 10.07 lakh voters (3.02%) were either absent or shifted. The number of voters who enrolled in multiple places were 1.58 lakh (0.47%).
Booth-level lists of electors reported as deceased, permanently migrated, untraceable, or whose forms were not received were shared with the Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by the political parties for verification, said the CEO’s office.
According to a statement issued by the CEO, as on July 5, 2026, out of 3,33,99,591 electors, 3,13,87,034 (93.97%) submitted their enumeration forms, reflecting an overwhelming participation in the first phase of the SIR. The successful completion of this phase was carried out by district election officers of all 30 districts, 147 Electoral Registration Officers, 994 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, 4,540 Booth Level Supervisors and BLOs deployed at 45,250 polling booths supported by volunteers.
It said field representatives of all seven recognised political parties, including their district presidents, also actively participated, with 84,594 BLAs appointed by them.
“As per Para 5(b) of SIR guidelines, no name can be deleted from the draft roll published on July 5, 2026 without notice and a speaking order by the Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer,” Mr. Gopalan said.
He said any aggrieved elector might appeal to the District Collector and thereafter to the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Volunteers were also being trained to assist electors in filing appeals.
Transparent process
The Election Commission said it was committed to a transparent, participative and inclusive revision process, ensuring that no eligible elector was left out and no ineligible name remained in the electoral rolls.
Now, claims and objections will be received between July 5, 2026 and August 4, 2026. The notice phase (hearing and verification) can be carried out from July 5, 2026 to September 2, 2026. The final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.
“If name is not found in the draft voter list, to include the name, Form 6 is required to be filled and submitted along with [Declaration Form] and other documents with appropriate authority,” said the commission.
Electors who attained or would attain 18 years of age on or before July 1, 2026 were being encouraged to apply through Form-6 along with the prescribed declaration form. Special camps would be conducted across the State to enrol all eligible young voters, said the CEO.
The Biju Janata Dal challenged the SIR draft report, claiming 27 lakh names were deleted from the electoral roll against the claimed 20 Lakh.
‘No consistency in figures’
BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said that according to the final electoral roll published in 2025, the State had 3,40,72,744 registered voters as reflected on the official website.
After the Election Commission issued the notification for the SIR in Odisha on May 14, political parties were informed in a meeting held on May 15 that the State had approximately 3.34 crore voters, said Mr. Mishra.
“Subsequently, on June 12, the voter strength was shown as 3,33,99,591. However, while publishing the draft electoral roll on Sunday, the CEO, Odisha stated that there are only 3,13,87,034 voters. There is, therefore, no consistency among the figures officially provided at different stages,” he alleged.
Mr. Mishra said, “since the 2026 SIR electoral roll has been prepared by mapping the 2025 final electoral roll with the last SIR electoral roll conducted in Odisha in 2002, an analysis of the 2025 final electoral roll reveals that while it has been officially claimed that 20.14 lakh voters have been excluded from the draft electoral roll, in reality nearly 27 lakh voters have been left out.”
According to the BJD, discrepancies have been found in the electoral rolls of several Assembly constituencies. “Out of the 147 Assembly constituencies in the State, more than 10,000 voters have been excluded in 75 constituencies, while more than 15,000 voters have been excluded in 49 constituencies. The exclusion of such a large number of voters through the SIR process is a matter of serious concern,” said the BJD leader.
